Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican on Saturday following his lung cancer from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he underwent surgery to minimise a cancerous tumour from his right lung.
The 71-year-old Chicago-born pope remained in hospital for four days, when doctors removed part of his right lung to extract the tumour.
Pope Leo returns after cancer surgery
The Vatican stated his medical team had declared him fit to leave the hospital after an assessment of his condition.
“Considering the blood tests, the chest X-ray done this morning, and evaluating the clinical picture, the Holy Father has been deemed fit for discharge,” doctors
Doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora released a statement, which read, "Considering the blood tests, the chest X-ray done this morning, and evaluating the clinical picture, the Holy Father has been deemed fit for discharge,"
The Vatican stated that Pope Leo "will leave the hospital in the early afternoon and return to the Vatican. Tomorrow he will recite the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment".
Notably, the the 71-year-old pontiff had continued celebrating Mass during his hospital stay.
The pope’s diagnosis has raised concerns among Catholics all across the globe, although doctors have reported that his recovery is progressing normally. Medical tests remain pending to determine the next steps in his treatment.
Despite his recovery, uncertainty remains over Leo’s planned visit to South America from November 6 to 17, which is scheduled to include Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
The pontiff spent around two decades as a missionary in Peru, making the trip significant.
As per the Vatican, Leo called off all audiences until October 20 as he continues recovering from surgery.
Before his hospitalisation, the pope told worshippers in St Peter’s Square that a routine medical examination had detected a lung nodule that doctors recommended removing.
An intraoperative tissue examination confirmed Pope Leo’s diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, a form of non-small cell lung cancer.
During his hospital stay, Leo also resumed some official duties, including a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, during which he urged a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky.
The timing of his return to public engagements will depend on medical advice and his recovery.
